Gymnast Gabby Douglas needs to rekindle old magic Sunday

Gabby Douglas is in seventh place heading into the final day of competition at the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Olympic Trials. (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — This was not supposed to be part of the story reigning Olympic champion Gabby Douglas had in mind when she set her sights on Rio.

A revelation in London four years ago, Douglas figured her bid for another shot at glory would be easy. Hard to blame her considering the way she so effortlessly reached the top of the podium in 2012, a soaring victory that made her a crossover star.

"I came back and said, 'Yes, this is going to be cake,'" Douglas said.

For a stretch last fall and this spring, it was. A silver medal in the all-around at the 2015 world championships showed her return was hardly just vanity run amok. Her professional effort while capturing events in New Jersey and Italy in March stirred inevitable comparisons to her sprint to Olympic gold.

Yet sometime over the last month, the momentum stalled. The Douglas that hopped off the beam in frustration during the first night of Olympic Trials on Friday hardly looked like she was having a good time. Her all-around total of 58.550 puts her seventh heading into today's finale, when the five-woman team expected to dominate the Summer Games will be announced.

Douglas described her effort as "just OK" when she knows much more is required. While the Olympic spot that once seemed automatic is still well within reach, the 20-year-old acknowledges the pressure has gotten to her. She figured she would have no trouble handling it when she returned to competition in March 2015.

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"I think there's more expectations now than there were before," she said. "I've just got to go out there and just do it, not just shy away and test the water. I've got to dive in."

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